


The Captain's Jewel

by SherlockedandLoaded



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: BAMF John, John is clever, M/M, Oh that's right because Possesive Sherlock is hot, Pirate!lock, Possessive Sherlock, Sherlock is obsessive, Why can't I write anything besides possessive Sherlock
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-13
Updated: 2016-12-28
Packaged: 2018-02-21 01:12:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2449832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SherlockedandLoaded/pseuds/SherlockedandLoaded
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Did you think I wouldn't recognize you John? I've never forgotten your face, not since I woke up that morning three years ago."<br/>"Let me go Holmes, that was ages ago."<br/>"Oh John, I told you meddling with me was a mistake. You're mine now."</p><p>When Captain Holmes sailed to Bakersville and found his greatest treasure, John Watson, he never thought he would be outwitted by the small boy with a wide smile and mischievous blue eyes. When John escaped the captain's grasp, he never imagined what was in store for him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

Captain Sherlock Holmes was the fiercest pirate to be known throughout the seven seas. He was ruthless, cunning, slick, and a genius when it came to commanding the waters and taking treasure from countless villages. Whenever people saw the infamous purple sails of Captain Holmes’ boat _The Hound_ , their best chance at survival was to run and hide, taking with them what they could.  
  
That was what happened in the peaceful land of Bakersville, as night fell on the unsuspecting town. As the sun sank beneath the trees of the rural town of coastal Britain, _The Hound_ made for a small cove that was guarded by rocks and trees, barely visible to the inhabitants of Bakersville. With the anchor down and the crew ready, Captain Holmes strode out from his captain’s cabin in his tight red shirt, long black pants with matching black boots, and a larger than life captain’s hat with one red and one purple feather garnishing the look.  
  
“You know the procedure men,” Captain Holmes looked at his crew for a moment before glancing at the cove that surrounded them, knowing only a mile or so away lay the extraordinary riches of Bakersville. The area had been a target of Holmes for a while, but he hadn’t been able to make safe passage by this part of Britain until now because it was usually heavy guarded by troops. However, lately the British navy was too concerned with other matters of war to worry about him and other pirates. Holmes had decided to capitalize on the navy’s mistake before other pirates got the same idea.  
  
“Bring all valuable items back to the ship,” he continued. “No _live_ items, may I remind you.” Captain Holmes snuck a glance at one of his crew, Henry Knight, who had tried to bring a young woman on board during the last raid for some ‘fun’, as Henry had so eloquently put it when Holmes had found them and demanded the drop off of Henry’s date at an undisclosed location.  
  
“Captain, will you be leading us tonight?” his first mate Lestrade piped up. Holmes smiled at his first mate with rough, tanned skin and dark, messy hair, before turning his attention to a hill that loomed above all the trees. He could see smoke rising from a singular house on the hill, floating up into the sky and the heavens.  
  
“I’m afraid not Lestrade, you will lead the attack on the town,” Captain Holmes spoke, never taking his eyes off the hut. “Tonight, I seek my own treasure.” Lestrade and the rest of the crew followed their Captain’s gaze to the hut on the hill.  
  
“What’s up there Captain?” Lestrade asked incredulously. “Is it gold? Silver?”  
  
“If rumor is correct, it contains something even better than precious metals,” Holmes spoke in a whisper now, as if mere mention of the treasure made his voice go hoarse. “On that hill is a very old, very vulnerable village doctor, who possesses a book passed down to him through generations of medicine men who have made extraordinary leaps in the field of healing.”  
  
At this, many of the crew sighed and rolled their eyes. Leave it to Captain Holmes to plunder a town just for a book.  
  
“Well good luck sir, finding your book,” Lestrade did his best not to chuckle along with his crew mates. “We’ll see you back here in...three hours?”  
  
“Yes, I think that shall be enough time for you to find enough treasure before the few troops that are stationed here have time to organize themselves. Remember boys,” Captain Holmes spoke as he and his men made their way over to the walls of the cove to scale them, “efficiency. It wouldn’t do for us to get caught. Not when I have some reading to do.” With a wink, the captain flew over the side, and another wild night for the crew of _The Hound_ began.

* * *

Captain Holmes snuck through the thick foliage with ease, moving between trees and bushes as he made his way up the hill to the house where he would find his treasure. He hoped the doctor wouldn’t put up too much of a fuss, he would hate to have to kill someone with such an extensive knowledge on medicine. There was the possibility of bringing the doctor and the book on board, but Holmes didn’t want to have to worry about some decrepit old doctor slowing everything down. It would be better to simply take the book and leave the man here with his people.  
  
But as Captain Holmes neared the small hut, he realized that the doctor very well could have the book hidden, locked away somewhere. No chance a book that old and valued would just be lying around for the world to see. Looking around, Holmes spotted a thorn bush. A plan began to develop in his head, making him smile as he thought of how to outsmart the doctor. Taking the thorns, he grazed them across his shirt and skin, leaving numerous slash marks on his body. As they began to bleed slowly, Captain Holmes made the final quarter mile’s journey, collapsing on the doorstep of the hut as he banged on the wooden entryway loudly. Before speaking, he hid his hat beneath a bush in front of the house. Despite his love for the hat, it would give away his pirate status immediately.  
  
“Please,” he called, pretending to sound distressed and hurt. “Is anyone there? I’m injured!”  
  
Almost immediately, Holmes heard footsteps from inside the house. A wolf-like grin appeared on his face. This was all to easy.  
  
Suddenly the door swung open, revealing the rumored old-  
  
Boy. It was a boy, not an old man. Holmes squinted as the short teenager, who had sandy blonde hair, startling blue eyes, and a worried frown on his face. The boy threw the door open, grabbing Captain Holmes.  
  
“What happened?” the boy asked Holmes, who in return held his chest as though he was in serious pain.  
  
“Pirates, looting the town,” Holmes winced as though it hurt for him to speak. “I was just passing through, I saw the sails...they came out of nowhere, swords and clubs...”  
  
“Pirates?! Bloody hell!” the boy cursed. “Thank goodness I’m all the way up here and they can’t find me eh?”    
  
He gave Captain Holmes a small smile before looking down towards the town of Bakersville.  
  
“Suppose there’s not much I can do except wait here until they’re gone. Then I’ll go down to the town and see if anyone needs to be treated. Here, let me help you get inside.”  
  
After a few minutes of the boy lifting Holmes around the small hut and the captain doing his best to seem hurt, the boy managed to prop Holmes up in a chair at a small round table in the corner of the room. The captain watched him through narrowed eyes as the boy went throughout the hut, searching numerous pots and cupboards for various plants.  
  
“I’m sorry,” he coughed out, deciding to learn a bit more about this boy. “I haven’t got your name?”  
  
“John,” the boy called back to him. Soon he came back into the room where the captain was sitting, with a slight smile on his face. In his hands were numerous herbs, spices, and solutions. “John Watson. And you are?”  
  
“Harrison,” Captain Holmes used his usual alias with ease, watching as John nodded and went to work, mixing a strange concoction on a counter not too far away.  
  
“So you’re a drifter?” John asked casually as he ground some leaves to green shreds and placed them into the bowl.  
  
“Yes, I’m a sailor actually,” Holmes replied while looking around the room, trying to find the book. Unfortunately it seemed like his earlier suspicions were correct and that the book was hidden from public view. _No matter_ , Holmes thought to himself. He could easily manipulate the boy into showing the book to him, and then it would be one quick swipe and a fast punch to the temple to knock the boy out. Captain Holmes didn’t want to hurt him severely; already he was beginning to like John. The boy’s easygoing nature yet supreme sense of compassion was catching Holmes' interest.  
  
“I’m sorry you encountered pirates here,” John replied. “Usually Bakersville is pretty peaceful. There isn’t much here to steal so no one bothers to attack us.”  
  
“No?” Captain Holmes asked, trying to sound surprised. No doubt his boys wouldn’t be too happy with their plunder. Unlike himself, who would obtain possibly the greatest treasure ever. Speaking of which...“I suppose then the rumors I heard weren’t true.”  
  
“What rumors?” the boy stopped his mixing for a moment and turned to look at the captain. “Any treasure I should know about? Gold or silver?” he spoke with a soft chuckle.  
  
“No, nothing like that,” Holmes responded, wincing as he shifted himself in his spot. “I heard there was a book in Bakersville, a book that holds generations of medical discoveries and remedies.”  
  
“Ah,” John smiled widely at this, and turned back to his bowl. “Those are old rumors indeed Mr. Harrison. I’m surprised they still exist.”  
  
“I’m an avid fan of knowledge,” Captain Holmes explained, and that was actually true. “So when I hear of books such as that, I always keep a sharp ear. Do you know if such a book exists?”  
  
“Oh it exists,” John finished mixing and turned to Holmes, holding the bowl. “Drink this,” he spoke, as he grabbed a couple shiny leaves and began to rub them on Captain Holmes’ cuts.  
  
“Really?” came the response between slurps. John smiled lightly as he worked.  
  
“Why yes,” he began. “You’re actually in the same house as it. My family, the Watsons, have been the guardians of the book for centuries. We keep it in this house as we hear of new advances in medicine and update it accordingly. My grandfather used to be the main keeper of the book, but with his passing roughly a year ago, I’ve inherited his position.”  
  
“Seems like highly secret information to be sharing with a stranger,” Holmes said with a smirk. At this John laughed,  
  
“You seem decent enough.”  
  
“Well thank you,” Holmes replied, trying not to smirk at this. “But if your family guards the book, where is everyone else tonight?”  
  
“My parents are currently at the jail house pleading for my sister to be set free,” John’s mood turned slightly sour now as he started making another concoction, this time making a paste. “She’s been in and out of the courts too many times for me to remember.”  
  
“What for?” the captain quirked an eyebrow. The look John gave him indicated that the boy really didn’t talk about it. So instead, the two remained in silence as John made the second mixture, and Captain Holmes analyzed the small boy’s house.  
  
 _So it seems he’s alone tonight_ , the captain began planning his escape with the book. _He doesn’t have any immediate help then. While his arms and legs are muscular, his small side will be a serious disadvantage. All I need to do is get him to show me the book and then I can quickly overpower him._  
  
At this point, John came over with the paste and applied it to Holmes’ cuts, focusing on the man’s arms as he made sure to cover each scrape thoroughly. The Captain decided that he might as well ask and get this over with so he could head back to his ship. An hour was almost over, and he wanted plenty of time to get the book secured on his vessel and help his crew if necessary.  
  
“I know this might be a lot to ask as a stranger,” Captain Holmes spoke as he lifted one hand and gently guided John’s face so that the startling blue eyes were staring into his own. “But might I perhaps see the book? I’m only passing through and I just wanted to see if it really exists.”  
  
For a moment, John didn’t say anything, the boy’s eyes caught in his own intense gaze. All that could be heard was the sound of their breathing. Holmes realized that he was still holding John’s face, his fingers cupping one of John’s small cheeks possessively.  
  
As quickly as it happened, the moment between them faded, and John awkwardly pulled away from the captain’s grasp. Captain Holmes found himself longing to hold John in his fingers again. The boy bit his lip and glanced around the house.  
  
“Well...” he ran his fingers through that sandy blonde hair. “I’m not...supposed to show the book when I’m the only one here.” But Captain Holmes could see the boy’s resolve hanging by a thread.  
  
“Please.”  
  
The Captain stood up before John, using his full height as a slight subconscious intimidator of the boy. He towered over John, who looked up with a mixture of curiosity and wariness.  
  
“Well...alright,” John suddenly smiled. “I think I can trust you. Wait here.”  
  
Captain Homes smiled, pleased with himself as John went to get the book. Sitting back down in the chair, he turned his attention to the small boy’s retreating figure. He was beginning to entertain the idea of taking little John back to the ship along with the book. Having a knowledgable doctor on board could be very useful, and Holmes had a feeling that he could get John to do whatever he wanted with only a bit of persuasion. The boy, despite looking fifteen or sixteen, was still very naive and very innocent.  
  
Holmes didn’t even notice as he licked his lips.  
  
Leaning back in the chair, he closed his eyes and imagined John on his ship with the rest of the crew. He would redress the boy, giving him some baggy navy blue pants and a tight white shirt.  
  
 _Scratch the shirt_ , he thought deviously as he let out a small yawn. As he sat there, his eyes began to sag. Today’s sailing and subsequent looting had taken a lot out of him. Letting himself rest a little bit, Holmes let his mind trail off as he thought of John.  
  
It wasn’t until he heard the boy’s footsteps five minutes later that Holmes tried to sit up, but found that he could barely open his eyes.  
  
 _What’s going on?_ Holmes thought as he stumbled to get out of the chair. _I’m not this tired. Something’s not right._  
  
His body wasn’t responding to anything. Instead, all he managed to do was fall out of the chair and land on the ground with a hard thud.  
  
“Oh dear,” the captain heard John speak but the boy’s words sounded a thousand miles away. He was vaguely aware of John lifting his sagging body back into the chair, and when the captain opened his eyes, he was surprised to see John looking at him with a wide smile and a mischievous glint in his eyes.  
  
“I once heard a rumor that pirates are able to tell a sleeping potion just by smelling it,” the boy continued, and even though his mind was falling deeper and deeper, Holmes realized with alarm that John had mentioned the word ‘pirates’. “But I guess that was just a rumor. You certainly didn’t seem to notice, and I didn’t even try to hide the smell.”  
  
“Wha...how?” the captain couldn’t even form words as he reached out for John, who was indeed holding a small black leather bound book in his hands, but Holmes just couldn’t reach it. His arm flopped back to his side as he let out a deep breath and tried his hardest to stay awake.  
  
“So you’re a drifter huh?” John quirked his own eyebrow now. “That’s funny, because the last I heard, you were a _pirate_ , Captain Holmes, of the ship _The Hound_.”  
  
The captain was too busy forcing himself to breathe to respond, so John kept going.  
  
“This book is my family’s legacy Captain Holmes,” the boy crouched before him, and even though Holmes’ eyes were closed, he knew that John was holding the book right in front of him. “It’s my job to protect it. So when I hear of the infamous and genius Captain Holmes that has looted several towns holding _vast amounts of academic writings_ , I stay on my guard. It was hard finding a picture of you and your ship, but I’m certainly glad I did. I saw you from my house the moment you got here.”  
  
Captain Holmes felt like screaming. He had never been outsmarted by someone, let alone a small, easily breakable boy. As the darkness overcame him, the Captain uttered out a declaration of vengeance.  
  
“You’ve made a grave mistake meddling with me, John Watson.”

* * *

It wasn’t the gentle rocking of the waves that pulled Captain Holmes from his deep slumber. It wasn’t the sunlight streaming on his face from the large windows of his captain’s room.  
  
No, it was the quiet chuckle of a sandy haired boy, laughing at him for being such an _idiot_.  
  
“John!” Captain Holmes bolted upright in his bed, nearly hitting his head on Lestrade, who was over him, checking his pulse to make sure he was still alright.  
  
“Woah, at ease Captain!” Lestrade pulled back from the Captain and stood at the side of the large bed at attention. “You’ve been asleep for hours. I was just checking to make sure you were alive and breathing.”  
  
“Where...where am I?” Captain Holmes asked his first mate, even though as he looked around he recognized his room, which meant he had to be on his ship.  
  
“You’re home sir,” Lestrade explained. “Gee, I guess you really must have been out cold.”  
  
“What happened?” the captain’s confusion turned to rage as he remembered the hut, the book, and John, enraging John who had drugged him and tricked him.  
  
“To you? We don’t know sir,” Lestrade shook his head. “We came back from looting the town, and there wasn’t much to find to begin with, when we saw you lying on the beach unconscious. Not waiting to meet whatever had done that to you, we pulled you on board and sailed away as fast as possible. We’re on course for Belgravia now sir.”  
  
Holmes steepled his hands under his chin as he let himself slip into deep thought. John must have brought him back down, but why? It irritated the captain to have so many questions when he knew he wouldn’t be able to go back to Bakersville for a while. The navy would have been informed and they would be crawling over that town. That was his one chance for a long time, and Holmes had blown it.  
  
“Thank you Lestrade,” the captain finally spoke. “You may go. Continue the course to Belgravia.”  
  
“Yes sir,” his first mate nodded and left the cabin. Once he was alone, Holmes examined himself, noting that his scars from the night before had completely healed. Whatever else John had given him besides the sleeping mixture had really done the trick. Holmes went to look at his whole figure to make sure John hadn’t injured him in any way when he spotted his hat on the table next to his bed. The red feather had been plucked out, leaving Captain Holmes with only the purple one. As the captain examined it closer, he found a small piece of paper tucked beneath the large feather. Unfolding it furiously, Holmes read the words greedily.  
  
 _Dear Captain Holmes,_  
  
 _I hope this letter finds you recovered from my little sleeping potion. Really, you should be more careful next time you decide to try and trick me or any of the other Watsons. Not everyone can be fooled so easily as you think. I have kept your red feather as a token to remember you by, but I am not one to steal without giving something in return. So I have indulged you. With this letter you will find a page from the book you were so eagerly after. It describes the medicine I used to treat your cuts. I hope you may find this remedy useful in your adventures._  
  
 _Until next time,_  
 _John H. Watson_  
  
As Captain Holmes stared at the letter, his fingers closed around it with the same possessiveness as they had grabbed John’s cheek.  
  
“Until next time indeed, John Watson.” 


	2. Capture

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When you are bummed that no one's updated and then you feel like a hypocrite because you haven't updated in forever so you edit your chappie a day earlier than you planned. Enjoy :)

_Three Years Later_

John had always loved sunrises. Each one was unique, a different mixture of color and brightness, which was why he made a point of getting up early so he could see as many sunrises as possible. Some were better than others, but all sunrises gave John hope for the coming new day. On this particular day, the sky had been a deep red that had filled the sky and made it look like a rose with clouds for petals. Still, despite the beauty, John always remembered the saying his mother had taught him when he was little.

_Red sky at morning, sailor take warning._

_Red sky at night, sailor delight._

This sky definitely was a warning. Of what, John couldn't be sure, but he decided to lay low today. He had been keeping busy during his trip to Belgravia, but with the crimson sky and his aching bones begging for some rest, John decided to stay inside today. Perhaps he would offer to go get some food from the market for his tenant, Mrs. Hudson, who had grown fond of him over the past week of his stay. Despite her charming smile and warm eyes, John could sense that there was some fire behind that calm exterior, and he had no desire to get on the old woman's bad side.

Rolling out of bed, John continued to look out on the peculiar sky as he planned out his lazy day. First he would go to the market for himself and Mrs. Hudson and get any supplies they needed. Then, he would spend time working on his new pages for the book. And he would finish the day with a night out at the local bar. Even though Mrs. Hudson had warned him not to go there because it was crawling with pirates, John didn't worry. He could handle his own around pirates. Of that, he was sure.

Thinking of pirates, John's mind drifted to a familiar face with startling cheekbones and pale eyes as he pulled on his tan trousers and red and white striped shirt. The boy wondered what Captain Holmes was up to that very same morning, looking at the very same sunrise that he himself was gazing at. John grabbed his lucky necklace, Captain Holmes' red feather interwoven with a piece of leather from his work desk back home, and glanced at the small mirror in his room, making sure his sandy hair was decent enough to be looked upon. Seeing as it was ok, John figured he had better start the day. He gave one last look to the red sunrise and gave one last thought to Captain Holmes before he swept out of the room and down to the world below where a new day was waiting for him.

The marketplace was just opening as John made his way down to the docks where all of the tradesmen and sailors were setting up their goods, so thankfully he didn't have to deal with crowds of people fighting and shoving for anything he needed. Instead, the strong boy even helped a few of the sailors lift some of their cargo from their ships in exchange for an extra apple or some information. John found that he liked information the best. The people themselves always varied, but the topic John asked about remained the same every time he talked to people in Belgravia or the other places he had traveled.

Pirates. John always asked about pirates. Especially one pirate in particular…one with pale eyes and purple sails on his boat.

John had two reasons for his never-ending inquiry about The Hound wherever he went. The first being for his own safety, because John assumed that if he were to run into the crew of The Hound or even Captain Holmes, they wouldn't be too happy with him and his trick he pulled on the captain. So each time he had traveled to a different location, he had always asked if anyone had seen or heard anything about The Hound. Most of the information he did find was just confirmation that the ship hadn't been sighted nearby in a while, or that it had been spotted far off in a distant country. Occasionally though, occasionally, John would meet up with someone who had had a bit more contact with Captain Holmes and his crew. One sailor he had met in Morstown three months ago had shared with him that Holmes was planning on coming back to England for another round of looting, and a merchant John had met on his first day in Belgravia had confirmed that The Hound had been spotted in waters not too far from the British Coast. What the merchant said next, however, was what really had John on edge, and was the reason he had asked around Belgravia for news on Holmes each day afterwards.

It was well known to anyone on the high seas that Captain Holmes was returning to the small town of Bakersville for some unfinished business. Which brought John to his second reason for asking about Captain Holmes.

He secretly wanted to meet the captain again.

John knew it was irrational. He knew it was dangerous and immature and foolish to think that he could go toe to toe with a pirate for a second time and come out victorious, but that day John had felt an excitement he had never imagined he could feel, and since then he had not felt such a rush. While John was busy thinking about Captain Holmes and The Hound, he wasn’t aware of two hands that were picking the food out of his basket as he stood on the dock until one of them accidentally bumped the whicker and John was snapped from his thoughts. Whirling to look down at his side, John’s mouth gaped as he saw the man with two pieces of John’s fruit in his hands and the other food in a bag across his shoulder.

“Hey!” the boy screamed, but the pickpocket was already sprinting away from the docks.

“Get back here!” John shouted. Normally he wouldn’t be too upset and he would blame himself for not noticing the thief, but some of that was Mrs. Hudson’s food and he would not let her down. Racing after the man, John quickly caught up to him thanks to his athletic ability and tackled the guy in a deserted alleyway near the heart of Belgravia. The two fell to the ground in a mess of arms and legs, but luckily John’s food landed on top of them so it didn’t hit the hard ground and bruise.

“That’s mine!” John hissed as he wrestled with the taller man, focusing on pinning the man’s arms to the ground. However, the guy was strong and clever, and reaching for things to grab onto, snaked his fingers around John’s necklace and pulled. For a few seconds the necklace enclosed around John’s neck and the boy couldn’t get enough air, but then it finally couldn’t handle the force of the man’s pull and snapped. Coughing for air, John collapsed to the ground, managing to grab the bag of food and tuck it underneath him so the pirate didn’t have easy access to it. He heard a loud grunt above him, and then retreating footsteps as the man disappeared from the alley. Rolling onto his stomach as his breath returned to normal, John decided that maybe he could lay low for a little bit. The rush was all well and good until his favorite necklace got stolen and he almost got choked to death.

With a sigh, he heaved himself up and started to head back to Mrs. Hudson’s, rubbing his neck to check for swelling and out of sadness for his lost feather that belonged to Holmes.

* * *

“Sorry I’m late captain!”

Captain Holmes turned to look as Mike Stamford hustled into the small cove where _The Hound_ had laid anchor and scrambled onto the ship. The slightly chubby man’s breathing was hoarse and the captain could tell by the scratches on his arms and the dirt on his back that he’d gotten into a significant brawl with someone.

“Care to tell me where you’ve been?” Captain Holmes walked over to Stamford, eyeing him up and down for any more clues about what had happened. The other members of the crew looked up for a moment to see what all the fuss was about, but then quickly resumed their duties. It was just Mike being late as usual, nothing new to see about that.

“Well I was doing some reconnaissance like you asked,” Stamford explained as he fiddled with his fingers. “And I maybe…tried to…get my hands on some food.”

Pinching the bridge of his nose with his fingers, the captain sighed and motioned for Stamford to continue.

“I almost had it but the bloke finally caught on, clever little bastard, anyway when I ran he followed me and full on tackled me to get it back, I couldn’t believe how hard he hit, especially being so short-

“Thank you Stamford, that’s enough of an explanation,” Captain Holmes waved his hand toward the ship, indicating Stamford to stop talking and get to work. Quickly rushing past the captain, Stamford took his place next to Lestrade as they worked on securing the ship’s sails.

“One of these days Holmes is going to leave without you while you're off stealing,” Lestrade whispered. “What was it this time?”

“I got stalled,” Stamford mumbled back.“Guy probably eighteen or nineteen who can’t handle a little food being stolen.”

“Well did you get anything from him?” Lestrade asked. “Tell me this morning wasn’t a total waste?”

“Afraid so,” Stamford said glumly. Then, after a moment of thought, he remembered his escape. “I did get the guys necklace though, not that it matters. It’s not worth anything.” Pulling it out, Stamford showed the strand of interwoven feather and leather and waved it in front of Lestrade. The first mate just shrugged at it and went back to doing his work, until something clicked in his mind. Just as Stamford was about to put the necklace back in his pocket, Lestrade held out his hand.

“Actually Stamford, can I keep that a while?”

“Whatever mate, it’s not much use to me.”

Later that day, when the crew was enjoying a break, Lestrade knocked on the door to Captain Holmes’ quarters, fiddling with the necklace as he debated about whether or not to approach the captain with it.

“Come in Lestrade.”

Still not knowing how the captain always knew who was at the door before the door opened, Lestrade entered the large room decorated with various maps, plants, and treasure chests. Making his way over to his captain who was standing in front of a table on which laid a map of Britain, Lestrade stood behind Holmes for a moment until he was spoken to.

“Well what is it you wanted to talk to me about Lestrade?” Holmes turned his intense gaze on his first mate as he barked the question. Even though Lestrade did feel he had a deeper connection with Holmes than most of the other crew members, he still got just as nervous as they did when the captain analyzed him.

“You remember the bloke Stamford said he got in a fight with earlier today?” Lestrade started. Clicking his tongue, Holmes turned back to the map and responded,

“Yes, I am aware of Stamford’s skirmish.”

“Well, sir..."

Unsure of how to give the necklace to the captain, Lestrade simply placed on the map in front of Holmes and backed away, curious to see what would happen. It was a long shot, but something in Lestrade’s gut told him that the red feather in the necklace didn’t belong to just anyone. Since that fateful day three years ago in Bakersville, Captain Holmes’ hat only garnished the purple feather, and Lestrade had always been curious as to why. Now it seemed he had his answer.

Looking up from his map, Captain Holmes regarded the necklace with a glance, and Lestrade felt for sure that he had been mistaken and had made a big commotion over a simple necklace.

Until he saw the captain’s body go rigid.

“ _Where_ did Stamford get _this_?” Holmes asked in a voice not entirely his own. There was a rawness behind his voice, a possessiveness that Lestrade had never seen from the Captain before.

“F-from the man, well boy really, that he fought with,” Lestrade began to explain, but before he could utter out another syllable Captain Holmes had grabbed him by the collar and yanked him closer so that they were an inch apart.

“Grab Stamford and Knight. We’re doing a little looting.”

“Right away. And what’s the treasure sir?”

“John Watson.”

* * *

The sunrise was long gone by the time John was making dinner in Mrs. Hudson’s kitchen, chopping up vegetables to make a hearty soup for his sweet tenant. As dusk started to settle over Belgravia, John sighed again as he felt his neck, wishing desperately that he had his necklace back. He had never gone a day without the good luck charm, and not having it on made him feel exposed. Mrs. Hudson didn’t really understand his attachment to it (she didn’t know John’s history with Captain Holmes) but she still had promised to take him to the market tomorrow and see if they could find him a new necklace. While he really didn’t want another one, John could see the generosity in Mrs. Hudson’s eyes and knew she’d be upset if he denied her request, so he agreed.

Currently his nice tenant was talking to a couple of men who had just entered. John glanced up for a moment, listening to their harmless conversation for a few seconds before turning back to his meal. He did his best not to pay them much attention even though their clothing, slightly worn but almost exotic, suggested that they were not typical villages. His imagination running wild, John thought that the two of them almost looked like pirates.

While John was busy debating with himself about the origin of these two men, they made a point of coming over to him with Mrs. Hudson.

“Are you John Watson?” one of them asked. John turned to stare at him. The man had tan skin, dark hair, and a slightly devious smile. When John nodded slightly, his smile widened greatly, and he extended his hand.

“My name’s Lestrade,” the man explained. “This is my comrade Henry Knight. We heard you were in town and were wondering if we could ask you some questions on your…medical expertise?”

Several red flags in John’s mind went up hearing this guy. First of all, John hadn’t told a soul in his travels that he knew about medicine, so how did these two blokes know? Second, how had they found them? It was all very suspicious to John, even more so when he looked down at the extended hand and saw a small skull on Lestrade’s wrist.

And years of reading about the infamous Captain Holmes and his crew decorated with skulls (especially on their wrists) as they looted towns filled his mind.

“Sure,” John reached his hand out slowly, taking Lestrade’s palm with his own firmly as the two looked at each other. For a moment, nothing out of the ordinary happened. Lestrade was smiling at his companion while John shook his hand.

John decided to seize the opportunity. Pulling Lestrade into his chest abruptly, John punched Lestrade on the cheek, catching him off guard and off balance. With a cry Lestrade fell to the ground, and John didn’t wait around to deal with Henry. Fast as lightening, he bolted from the kitchen and to the main entrance, but when he got closer he saw that the man he had encountered earlier, a pirate himself, was guarding the door. Gazing at the open window next to the door, John prayed that his tiny body would fit and rather than racing toward the door, he pitched himself through the open square and onto the ground outside the house. Dusting himself off, John kept running through the village, weaving through buildings and taverns as he got deep into the heart of Belgravia and away from Holmes’ crew that was after him. Finally he stopped when the moon was just peering out from the trees and his lungs cried for more air.

John smiled widely as he took a deep breath, pleased he had managed to outrun Holmes’ crew. His lungs were burning and his heart was beating rapidly in his chest, but John had never felt more alive. The cool night air stimulated his senses and made him acutely aware of everything in front of him. Exhaling, John sighed, taking a step back as he went to turn around.

However, the cool breeze he was expecting to hit his face did not come. Instead, he ran into a solid mass and nearly stumbled to the ground when a pale hand shot out and grabbed him by the collar. Adrenaline surging through him, John tried to see who his attacker was, but as soon as he went to lift his head, he felt an immense pressure on the back of his neck, and then everything went black.

* * *

As the boy collapsed into his arms from the blow to the back of his head, Captain Holmes caught him with ease. His lips pulled back in a chilling smile, the captain laid John’s unconscious body on the ground so that the boy was lying on his back and still getting airflow from his open mouth. With those silent pale limbs, he reached into his pocket and retrieved John’s necklace, clicking it into place around the boy’s neck as his eyes analyzed John for the first time in three years. Even though John had grown considerably, he was still shorter than Captain Holmes, and his hair was still the sandy blonde that the captain remembered, with a few sun bleached strands here and there.

“Perfect,” Captain Holmes murmured, and just then Lestrade, Stamford, and Knight, rounded a corner, going from a walk to a sprint when they saw their captain.

“You got him!” Lestrade cheered. There was a small cut on his face where someone, probably John, had swiped him, but his first mate’s excited smile told Captain Holmes that Lestrade and the rest of his crew were alright from their skirmish with John. Nodding, the captain picked up John’s rag doll body with ease and turned toward the harbor.

“Let’s take him to the ship. I think it’s time John Watson became _The Hound’s_ doctor.”

_And my treasure._


	3. Desire

When John finally opened his eyes after what seemed like an eternity, he nearly fell over as he tried to make sense of where he was. As he tried to balance himself, he realized he was lying in a hammock that was currently violently swinging the more he moved. Forcing his body to remain still, John took breaths as the hammock stabilized and his vision stopped rocking…somewhat. After only a few moments of feeling the up and down motion of the hammock and the small wooden room around him, John recognized that he was on a boat. Not just any boat either, but a big boat if it was able to accommodate rooms like the tiny one he was currently inhabiting. There was just one problem.

He hadn’t fallen asleep on a boat.

John didn’t really remember falling asleep at all. His head was fuzzy with a dull pain, but he did remember meeting a few men of Captain Holmes’ crew and then outrunning them…

 _No_ , John thought in panic. _I swear I outran them. There was no way they could have caught up to me. So who could have hit my head…_

Just then the door to his cabin opened, and in walked one of the figments of John’s memory. It was that bloody Lestrade character who seemed to be the second in command of Holmes’ ship. Quickly scrambling out of the thin hammock and nearly slamming into the ground in the process, John pressed himself into the corner in a defensive position.

“Stay away from me,” he hissed as threateningly as possible, but his head was still swimming. The rocking of the boat didn’t help either as he tried to keep his balance.

“Look, I know this must be daunting,” the pirate kept his distance, but eyed John curiously. Even though John hated being looked at like a new toy, he didn’t have many other options but to stay in the corner. There was absolutely no other way out of this room except through the doorway Lestrade was occupying. All of the walls were solid wood and the window that looked out onto the ocean was nowhere near big enough to fit John’s build. “Captain Holmes has requested your presence on the main deck.”

John’s heart skipped a beat at the mention of the captain, but he would be damned if he was going to show his fear to any pirate. He was severely tempted to tell Lestrade what he really thought of the captain’s request, but John didn’t want to waste an opportunity to see more of the ship.

And yes, there was a part of him that secretly desired to meet the illustrious Captain Holmes again. It was small, but it was still in the back of John’s mind as he followed Lestrade silently out of the room into a hallway that was filled with doors, most likely to rooms just like John’s. As the two of them walked down this hallway, John was surprisingly impressed. Most pirate ships were not as intricately built like this with special hallways and rooms. They rounded a corner into what appeared to be the main basement of the ship, and from the rough stomps and shouts from above, John could tell that they were right below deck. Looking around, he saw dozens of crates stacked neatly across the walls.

 _Captain Holmes does know how to run a ship_ , John thought to himself as Lestrade led him to a staircase in the middle of the floor that led up to the main deck. John was expecting the pirate to head up before him, but the man stepped aside and ushered with a nod,

“Can’t have me heading up before you and you deciding to hide somewheres.”

With a sigh, John took the first rung of the ladder. Did these pirates truly believe he was some amazing escape artist? He had only outsmarted the captain that one time, and that was in his own home with his greatest work, the book, at stake. Climbing the ladder slowly, John took a moment to shove the latch door up, cringing as sunlight streaked across his face as he was welcomed by daylight. After scaling two more steps, John swung himself onto the deck. Lestrade was soon to follow.

Upon their arrival, the rest of Holmes’ crew turned to eye them, especially John, with rapt curiosity. John’s cheeks burned red at all of the attention.

“You’ll have to forgive them,” Lestrade explained as he looked around, presumably for Captain Holmes. “We haven’t had a newcomer in a while, and especially not one that Captain has been so eagerly searching for. Seems he isn’t out here yet though, I’ll go get him.”

Focusing on the words, ‘eagerly searching for’, John watched as Lestrade walked away, calling for the two other pirates John had met, Stamford and Knight, to guard John until he returned. The two enthusiastically left their work posts and hurried over to John, small smiles on their faces.

“We’re sorry for kidnapping you like that,” Knight spoke quickly. “But you have no idea how enjoyable it was to go out and do something different! None of us have had such a hard target in what seems like ages! Usually we just loot and leave, with barely any excitement.”

“You…don’t seem like normal pirates,” John finally interrupted. “I’ve never heard of pirate ships being so well organized or the pirates themselves being so…civilized.” And what John said was true; none of these men looked dirty or disheveled. In fact, if purple sails were flying above him and a skull and crossbones didn’t decorate the ship’s flag, John would have honestly believed that he was on a regular passenger boat.

“Thanks mate,” Stamford smiled. “It’s not often we’re complimented. And as to the state of things around here…let’s just say Holmes always keeps a strict eye when it comes to cleanliness. Although he did make an increased effort with our return to Britain. I wonder what that’s about?” From Stamford’s growing smile, John could clearly understand what Stamford was implying, but refused to mention it.

“Maybe he was looking to impress some town or navy ship?” was his response.

”Or maybe he was looking to impress someone,” Stamford replied with a wink.

“You really don’t know how differently Holmes thinks of you,” Knight continued. “He’s never met someone who outsmarted him like you did, and he’s never forgotten it. Usually he can be downright condescending to all of us, but when he speaks of you, it’s almost like you’re this treasure that he has yet to find, some piece of gold he hasn’t laid claim to yet.”

“What an excellent metaphor Henry, but perhaps you could pause your poetry to return to your duties.”

Knight and Stamford glanced up as John whirled around, to meet the fierce gaze of none other than Captain Holmes himself. For just a moment, John was lost in the man’s angular face that seemed to be cut from stone. Then the second passed, and the small sense of comfort John had gained during his words with Knight and Stamford vanished, and in its place came the realization that despite how warmly he was welcomed, he was still a prisoner.

“Captain Holmes, I request the immediate removal from your ship on the grounds that I am not yours to go and pick up like some loot,” John’s words were sharp and strong, and he was pleased with himself for being able to hold the captain’s penetrating gaze and deliver them. But to his dismay, the man just chuckled, his long black pirate’s coat billowing out behind him. As quick as lightning, he grabbed John’s chin with his bony fingers and forced the boy to stand on his toes.

“Since I was so rudely robbed of the medicinal book I desired those years ago, I have deemed your presence on my ship of equal value, John Watson,” John tried to wedge his face from the captain’s grasp as the man spoke, but those fingers were like a vice grip.

“You can’t put a value on me,” he snarled back.

“Indeed, it seems, I cannot,” Captain Holmes’ eyes were sparkling as he drew John closer to him and studied him with those pale spheres. Whereas John had been uncomfortable with everyone looking at him before, this brought on a whole new level of anxiety. The way the captain analyzed him made him squirm and only increased his anger with the whole situation.

“You are a most peculiar individual, John Watson,” the captain continued, and suddenly released John’s chin, causing John to lose his balance for a moment at the sudden ability to move. “I have desired to study you more closely since that morning I awoke on my ship three years ago, and now it seems I have all the time in the world to do so. What a glorious morning it is.”

“I won’t stay here Holmes,” John protested, the fear of actually being forced to stay on the ship for the rest of his life setting in. He backed away as he continued, “I’ll find a way to get off this ship, I’ll escape. You can’t keep me here.”

At this the captain’s somewhat light mood darkened, and the smirk on his sharp features disappeared almost instantaneously. Stepping close to John, his eyes narrowed.

“You may try to escape me John Watson,” he growled, his voice much deeper than before. There was a sincerity in his voice that startled John, and the boy was shocked at the sudden severity facing him. “But the sea is my domain. And as for Britain…you might know Bakersville’s secrets, but I rule the rest of the land. If you try to leave, I will find you.”

“I dare you to try,” John snapped back. Captain Holmes sneered at this response for a moment, before his mouth snapped back into a dangerously curious smile. John couldn’t decide which one was worse. The captain stared at him intently for a moment more before turning around with a flourish and walking silently to the helm of the ship. Still infuriated with the captain, John didn’t follow, but rather went over to where Knight and Stamford were working.

“You can’t seriously want to follow through with this,” John pleaded with them. Surely Holmes’ crew couldn’t be the usual cruel pirates on the seas. He could tell there was some humanity in them, and he was desperate to find it. “You’re not going to keep me here, are you?”

“We listen to our captain,” Stamford replied resolutely, not glancing at John as he spoke. “He has given us so much, it is the least thing we can do to give him the one thing he wants.”

“Alright, you have to stop with this obsession the captain apparently has with me,” John responded, starting to get slightly nervous. Eyeing Holmes out of his peripheral vision, John could see the Captain talking to a few members of his crew about their course. Occasionally the man would look over to where John was standing, only to smile and continue.

“Relax John,” Knight grinned. “The only reason Holmes is so curious with you is because you outsmarted that one time. You didn’t give him what we wanted and you made yourself a challenge. The more time he spends with you, the more likely Holmes is to, well, get bored. I wouldn’t be surprised if he lets you go in a week.”

“Really, he’d just let me leave?” John cocked an eyebrow, his interest piqued by Knight’s words. “He wouldn’t try to…you know…get rid of me?”

“Kill you?” Knight flinched, as if the words offended him. “Captain Holmes rarely kills, and he _certainly_ doesn’t kill innocent people.”

“Just do what he says,” Stamford finally stopped for a moment and turned to John. “Knight’s right, he’ll probably get bored and let you go before you know it. Until then, we have to keep you here on our ship.”

As Knight and Stamford cleared away, John pondered these words. He truly wanted to get off this ship as soon as possible. His desire to meet Captain Holmes was diminished now that he was being held captive by the man. Gulping, he squared his shoulders and headed over to the wooden staircase that led to the elevated platform Holmes was steering the ship from. The rest of the crew that he had been talking with had left, so it was just the two of them as John reached the captain. Standing at a safe distance, John cleared his throat to get the man’s attention. Nodding at John with a smile, Holmes shifted his gaze onto the ocean.

“Look at it John,” he spoke quietly. Following the captain’s gaze, John stared at the open sea that parted before them as their ship cut through the water. “All mine for the taking.” John tore his eyes from the sea to look at the captain, who had turned his own gaze to the boy standing in front of him.

“Why do you want me on your ship so badly?” John asked openly, hoping to promote a conversation that would speed Holmes’ discovery process along quite rapidly.

“Hmmm, I think you might be able to answer that question yourself,” Holmes strode over on those long tall legs until he was only a couple feet from John, who was very aware of the man’s presence. “See if you can figure it out.”

“Is it just because I bested you three years ago?” cocking an eyebrow, the boy crossed his arms, genuinely curious to see if that was the answer.

“That’s a part of the reason why,” the captain replied. “But there’s a greater reason.”

“Was it that note?” John guessed again. When he had written it, he thought he would never see the captain’s face again to deal with the man’s reaction. How wrong he was back then.

“Closer,” Captain Holmes whispered, inching toward John. “It was, in essence, simply you, that interested me. I was already debating stealing you away to my ship when you tricked me. The confidence and cleverness you utilized to execute that plan were astonishing to me, and when I woke up the next morning I was, to say the least, stunned to see that I had been outwitted. It was almost refreshing, as I am rarely a step behind.”

His heart clenching at this new information, John didn’t have anything left to say. Wordlessly turning to head down the staircase, he climbed down the rungs without another look at the captain. Fear seeped inside his bones as his replayed what the captain had just said, and John fidgeted as he realized that Captain Holmes wasn’t simply looking to him for mild entertainment. The captain was genuinely excited with John’s presence. Not just excited, but pleased with himself and confident that he could keep John firmly at his side. Naturally John would fight it, but that sadly meant trouble for him in the days ahead.

What John didn’t see was the captain’s nod to Lestrade who was waiting patiently on the lower deck. As John went to unlatch the door to the basement of the ship, Lestrade quickly caught up to him and followed him down, even at John’s annoyed grunt. Walking down the maze of hallways, John managed to find his room with ease and strutted in, his intense fear making him angry. He tried to shut the door on Lestrade’s face, but the pirate was quick and stuck his foot in the path of the door so that it couldn’t close.

“Supper in two hours,” he pointed to a small clock on one of John’s wooden walls. “Don’t be late or I’ll have to come down and get you and you know who will probably come with me. Until then,” and the pirate had the audacity to show a tentative smile upon saying this, “make yourself at home.”

John thoroughly made himself at home by shoving Lestrade out of the doorframe and subsequently slamming himself into his room.

“Bloody pirates,” he spat, and went to his bed, hoping to sleep off some of his anxiety, or even better, to wake up from this horrible nightmare with huge ships and pirates with faces cut from stone.

* * *

Rubbing his foot from where John had stomped on it, Lestrade made his way back up to the main deck where Captain Holmes was impatiently tapping his foot.

“Well,” the man demanded as Lestrade closed the opening. “What do you think?”

“I _think_ he doesn’t want to be here,” Lestrade crossed his arms as he eyed his captain. “Do you really think you can get him to like it on this ship?”

“Come now Lestrade, it’s not a matter of if, but when,” the captain replied with a flourish of his hand. “But besides that, what did you think of John?”

“Well,” Lestrade paused, gathering his thoughts. The last thing he wanted to do was insult John, the current pinpoint of Captain Holmes’ attention. “He’s quite clever and strong, he has a strong sense of morals, and he’s almost as stubborn as you are. If he likes it here, I think he could make a very good ship doctor and I think the crew would like him a lot.”

“Not if, Lestrade, _when_ ,” Captain Holmes’ eyes narrowed. “You underestimate my manipulative abilities. Once I’ve learned al there is to know about John Watson, there will be nothing to stop me from turning him towards us. He’s meant for a pirate’s life, he just doesn’t know it yet.”

“If you say so Captain,” Lestrade replied with a shrug of his shoulders, although inside his mind he was interested in this apparent conversion Holmes believed he could enforce on John. Things would certainly be more interesting on The Hound as she continue to sail through Britain with her newest piece of treasure. “I won’t underestimate you. But don’t underestimate John.”


	4. Insight

John Watson was not hungry in the slightest. As he sat in his room listening to the somewhat calming sound of the ocean, he contemplated the situation he was in and how on earth he was going to get out of it. He knew it was useless to escape while the ship was still surrounded by ocean; he wouldn’t get very far and he would probably kill himself while doing so. That meant he would have to wait until the ship made its next looting stop, and only bloody Captain Holmes knew when that was going to be.

For the time being, John was stuck. And oh how he hated that.

The door to his small cabin creaked open, and John’s thought halted as Stamford and Knight slowly edged their way into his room. Flashing a glance at the clock, John saw that he had five minutes to get on deck before supper.

“Erm, John, we were wondering if maybe you’d like to come upstairs with us,” Stamford spoke softly, visibly uncomfortable at having an unruly hostage. The crew must have not taken hostages that often if this was their version of dealing with them. “It is almost time for supper and the captain…is waiting.”

“I’m not hungry,” John hissed angrily, but when he saw the faltering expressions of Stamford and Knight, he calmed down. “Look fellas, it’s nothing against you personally,” he continued, “but I’m not eating with that bloody psychopath. If he wants to keep me here fine, but he better be prepared to shove the spoon down my throat if he wants to keep me alive.”

Stamford and Knight glanced at each other nervously before nodding at John and leaving the room. As their footsteps echoed through the hallway and up the stairs onto the main deck, John could practically feel the tension they must have been facing. Listening carefully, John stepped out of his bed and peeked down the hallway, smiling as he saw that no one was guarding his room. Sneaking down the corridor as voices talked above him on deck, John hid himself away between the dozens of barrels in the main basement.

“Fetch him, would you Lestrade?” John bristled at hearing the captain’s baritone voice, but he remained hidden with the barrels as he saw the door unlatch and the first mate climb down the ladder muttering to himself. If John was going to go down on this ship, then he certainly wasn’t going to go down without a fight.

As Lestrade began to make his way toward the main corridor, John rose from the barrels and planted his left foot to leap off of.

Let’s see how you like getting bopped on the head you git, John thought to himself as he leaped out into the open to punch Lestrade and remind the first mate that when his captain messed with John Watson, everyone on board messed with John Watson.

That was what John and planned to do…before a strong hand grabbed the back of his shirt, whirled him around, and slammed him into the chest of who else but Captain Holmes.

“A surprise attack,” the captain hissed into the raging John’s ear, “how boring.”

“Like you’re one to talk,” John growled back, struggling against the captain’s vice grip as his back was pressed against Holmes’ stomach.

“Yes, but at least when I surprise people it works,” Holmes snapped before violently releasing John from his grasp. Unable to balance himself, John fell to the ground with a thud.

“I expected more from you John Watson,” Captain Holmes barked, his usually smug face turned into a snarl. “I expected someone who provide me with something new and interesting for once. I did not want a boy throwing temper tantrums and refusing to eat his meals!”

“I’m not here for your entertainment,” John roared, and swiped his legs across the floor. Thankfully Holmes wasn’t expecting it, and the swipe successfully knocked him onto the ground. Not hesitating for a moment, John reared to go against Holmes again, but he was hit with a new wall of force, one that managed to push him halfway up the stairs.

“That’s enough for today mate,” Lestrade huffed. “You do not want to fight Captain Holmes.”

“Sod off Lestrade,” John tried to fight against the first mate but soon he found himself on the main deck with the entire crew again watching him.

“What should we do Lestrade?” Knight asked.

“Take John to my quarters now,” Lestrade ordered. “You and Stamford, go! I’ll try to calm the captain down.”

But it was too late. As Lestrade turned around, he was met with an enraged Holmes who was glaring at Knight and Stamford as they backed up with John behind them.

“Gentlemen, if you would please disperse,” Captain Holmes’ voice was calm, but that only scared John further. It was like the calm before a storm, an eerie calm that held more tension than seemingly possible. Stamford and Knight recognized Holmes’ tone too, and went to move out of his way. Thinking fast, John noticed the swords dangling around their waists and deftly pulled Stamford’s out of his belt, flashing the sword at Holmes and praying he looked somewhat intimidating.

“You want interesting, fine,” John growled. “Come and get it.”

Holmes wordlessly pulled out his sword, taking it in his hand and slowly strolling up to John. He took off his hat and gave it to Lestrade before taking a fighting stance. Muscles tense, John was tempted to strike first, but he knew he would be better off taking the defensive against Holmes, who was probably an expert swordsman.

“I will,” the pirate hissed, before lunging.

Swords hitting, John evaded the captain’s blow and parried his slashes as the two made their way across the deck. John began to sweat as the fighting continued; the captain was very good and he knew he wouldn’t last much longer.

*Maybe I can get him unfocused,* John thought to himself. He waited for a moment when Holmes paused his whirlwind of attacks to speak.

“So tell me, Captain Holmes,” he prayed his voice didn’t shake. “How did it feel when you woke up that morning? Were you confused, angry?”

Holmes stopped for a moment, his eyes narrowing further as he stared at John.

“Neither,” he replied, his voice remaining level. John realized he would have to go further to evoke something from the man. “I was thrilled, actually. And that thrill John, is why I came back. It’s why I came back for you, John, because I’ve never gotten that thrill from anyone else.”

As he finished saying this he struck again, but John managed to catch the blade at the last second, pushing them into a deadlock. Gritting his teeth, John did his best to keep Holmes at bay, but the man was exceedingly strong.

“Tell me,” John tried his luck again. “How does it feel knowing you’ll never get the book? That your record of looting isn’t perfect.”

Captain Holmes only glowered at this, pushing harder against John who had to take a step back as he fought to hold his ground.

“I wouldn’t push me any farther if I were you, John,” the captain responded. “You have no idea what I’m capable of boy.”

“I could say the same to you,” John spit back, but suddenly his eyes caught something dangling around the captain’s neck. It was his necklace of red feather and leather, and in the moment that John lost his focus to the necklace, Holmes heaved and managed to topple the boy to the ground. John landed on the wooden planks with a thud as the sword fell out of his hand. When he raised his head, it was right in front of Holmes’ blade.

“That’s _my_ necklace,” John glared from his place on the ground.

“Which contains _my_ feather,” Captain Holmes put the sword back in its hilt and reached down towards John. His pale fingers grasping the fabric of John’s shirt, he pulled John off the ground and up off the deck so that John was dangling in front of him.

“Supper is ready,” the captain’s smug smile was back. “And I would highly suggest you eat it yourself, I’m fully ready to and capable of stuffing it down your throat, but I’m going to spare the remainder of your dignity. After supper you can change into some new clothes and get to work on the deck, I can’t have you lounging around like some special guest. Seems you don’t work well in that role.”

“You’ll never be my Captain,” John whispered as the captain dropped with a thud.

“We’ll see about that,” Holmes replied, and taking his outrageous hat from Lestrade, walked up the deck to the upper level where his chambers were and closed the door. There was a moment of silence before Lestrade gave an “Oi!” and everyone went back to eating or chatting. John simply stood on the deck in sort of a stupor, glaring at the room that held Holmes.

“Please don’t make me go back and get him,” Lestrade half begged half snapped at John. Sighing, the boy didn’t have much more fight in him, so he walked over with Lestrade and took a slice of bread and some water as well as a morsel of meat. Lestrade was quick to grab his fill and go back to his quarters, so John went and sat with Stamford, Knight, and the others.

“You certainly are brave John, I’ll give you that,” Stamford chuckled. “That was definitely interesting for my tastes.”

“However John, you should know Captain Holmes wasn’t fighting at his full potential,” Knight commented. “It’s obvious he only meant to toy with you.”

John sent Knight a look before munching on his bread.

“True Knight, but I’ve never seen the captain get so riled up before,” Stamford continued. “I reckon we’ve yet to see John’s full potential as well.” With a wink, the pirate stood up, stretched, and looked around the group to pirates to see most of them were done.

“Alright ye lazy bums, get back to manning the ship,” he ordered as he gave John a wink. All of them complied and soon John was left sitting alone.

“I believe your new clothes are down in your room,” Stamford explained. “Get dressed and hurry back up, we could use your strength up here, and there’s not much you’ll be able to do from the confines of your room. If you’re gonna escape, it would probably be a good idea to make a few more friends.” John knew Stamford’s wink and smile were sarcastic, but at least he wasn’t totally alienated on The Hound. Smiling back for what seemed to be the first time on the ship, John went to his room.

Unbeknownst to John and Stamford, Captain Holmes was watching their encounter through a hole in his room that overlooked the deck. Lestrade was sitting at one of the desks in the captain’s room. Since their rooms were joined together, the captain and first mate could go back and forth as they pleased. Sometimes this was a benefit, other times Lestrade didn’t really enjoy the captain’s critical presence in his personal space.

Right now, however, they were both in the captain’s quarters, discussing who else but John Watson.

“So he can be cordial with my crew, but showing any kindness towards me is out of the question,” Holmes pouted, looking away from the whole as he paced around his room.

“They’re not the ones who just fought him,” Lestrade offered. “Nice moves by the way, you always seem to be improving.”

“Oh but what’s the point of improvement if it’s not going to impress John,” Holmes growled. “I didn’t think he’d be so adverse to his situation here.”

“Did you honestly think you would woo him within his first hours here?” Lestrade cocked an eyebrow. “Then you need a reality check. John will take time. Be patient.” The first mate got up and walked to the overlooking hole.

“Look,” he smiled. “John’s already back on deck and working with the others.” Turning his head, the captain stalked over to where Lestrade as standing and took a turn staring at the scene before him. Indeed, John was working with a few of his crew to clean the deck.

“Just keep being yourself,” Lestrade continued. “Eventually it will get to John. You already made leeway today, however small. Now he knows you’re a master swordsman and deep down respects you for it.”

“The sooner he respects all of me, the better,” Holmes muttered. “Because if I don’t get results soon, I’ll turn to other tactics of persuasion.”

“Best save those when you’ve got John right on the edge,” Lestrade replied. “Not that you’ve ever been one to heed my advice.”

“We shall see Lestrade,” Captain Holmes spoke, fingers twisting the leather around his neck as he watched his John from above.

* * *

The next morning, John woke up in his cabin feeling better than the previous day. Yawning before he opened his eyes, John enjoyed the simple pleasure of the rocking waves, ready to see what the day had in store for him. When he was like this, he was at his most peaceful. It was why he had always loved sea travel, and the peace the waves gave him was some solace on his otherwise peculiar situation.

“You’re a heavy sleeper.”

“GAH!” John started, eyes flinging open as he heard that voice, Holmes’ voice, in his room. As he sat upright in his bed and tried to catch his breath from being surprised, his glazed vision focused on Holmes, who was sitting across the room staring intently at him.

“I would have expected a master of escape to be prepared when his enemy entered his room,” the captain chuckled. “It seems you were exhausted after last night though. I support I can’t blame you, you did endure a grueling battle against a mighty foe.”

“Oh please,” John rolled his eyes. “Don’t praise yourself. You just got lucky I let down my guard.”

“Regardless, today is a new day,” Holmes replied. “Perhaps it won’t be so difficult to get you on the main deck, though I wouldn’t be opposed to dragging you if it came to that.”

“No, _that_ won’t be necessary,” John hastily responded, getting out of bed to emphasize his point. Looking around for the shirt he had been wearing the night before that he had taken off before going to bed, John walked around the perimeter of the room while Holmes watched.

“Misplaced something?” the captain asked and immediately John could tell by the man’s tone that he was holding the stupid shirt, but John refused to look at him and give him the satisfaction. He could already feel the captain’s intense stare on his bare back and did not want to make direct eye contact with the man.

“Just looking for my shirt,” he instead continued, pretending to search some more. “I know it has to be around here somewhere because my captain wouldn’t take my shirt while I was asleep like a pathetic lunatic.”

“Ah,” Captain Holmes raised himself out of the chair, and John couldn’t help but peer at the man as he stalked over to John, the white fabric indeed clenched in his feet. As the captain walked closer, John backed towards one of the corners of his room until his bare back met the wood and he had no where else to go. Holmes didn’t stop though, walking straight up to John so that their bodies were mere inches from each other. John couldn’t help himself, he scanned the captain over when the man was in such close proximity, and had to say, Holmes was aesthetically pleasing to say the least.

“I’m not your captain though, am I John?” Holmes smirked before grabbing John’s hand in his own and depositing the shirt. Without another word, Holmes turned and headed for the door.

“I expect your arrival on the main deck in five minutes Watson,” he grinned, and left the room with a flourish.

Sighing, John messed with his hair for a few minutes to make sure it wasn’t haggard looking, cleaned his face with a washcloth, and headed upstairs. Upon his arrival, he was greeted by Lestrade who showed him over to the left side where men were hauling ropes.

“Am I to help with them?” John asked Lestrade, nodding to the crew.

“Not with the ropes,” Lestrade explained. “But one of our crew, Tom, seems to be having trouble lifting his usual weight. He has complained about his ankle, and since we are pirates, getting to a doctor has been difficult. Would you be willing to take a look?”

“Oh, absolutely,” John smiled, glad he could work in the field he felt most comfortable in. Tom was called over, and after inspecting him for a few minutes, John came to his conclusions.

“Just a jam,” John reassured Tom. “Take a few days easy and elevate it when you can, and it should be fine”

“Thanks doc,” Tom got up and left, leaving John sitting and feeling rather pleased with himself. If he was going to be the ship’s doctor, this arrangement wasn’t that undesirable.

Suddenly, a loud echo across the water surrounded John’s ear, and when he turned around he was stunned by the massive ship approaching. His heart thudded as he realized that The Hound had stumbled upon more fearsome pirates, but the crew around him looked more annoyed than fearful. Lestrade even seemed, to smile? John searched for Holmes, but he didn’t have to look far. The Captain was already making his way down to the deck, glowering at the ship and the somewhat round man who was leading it.

“Holmes?” John asked quizzically.

“Lestrade,” the captain pinched his nose. “Prepare the ship for my brother.”


	5. Titles

“Who’s that?” John asked curiously as he and Stamford watched Captain Holmes and Lestrade talk with the round man standing on the deck on the massive ship rocking on the water next to them.

“That’s Mycroft Holmes,” Stamford explained. “He’s the captain’s older brother.”

“Also a pirate?” John questioned, trying to get a good look. They didn’t look that alike, apart from the hawkish look in their eyes as they regarded each other.

“Not really,” Stamford answered. When one of John’s eyebrows shot up, he continued. “He works with the British government but takes time out to visit the captain on the high seas. Somehow he always manages to find us when no one else can. There are rumors that Lestrade keeps in contact with him, there are other rumors that he just has that many agents across the country that watch out for us.”

“Captain Holmes doesn’t seem too fond of him,” John observed as the captain’s brow furrowed after the elder Holmes said something and rolled his eyes. John was too far away to make out the words, but whatever they were, the captain was not pleased with them.

“Sibling rivalry perhaps,” Mycroft spoke with a smirk. He turned to John. “If you have a sibling, surely you must know what that’s like?”

John chuckled at this. He knew all too well about an annoying sibling. His sister had caused his family more trouble than he’d ever care to admit. Still, thinking about her and the rest of the Watsons made him homesick. Sighing, he turned away from the two Holmes brothers.

“Any other work I can do here?” he asked.

“You can join the others scrubbing the deck if you want,” Stamford offered. “But I don’t think you have to if you don’t want to.”

“No, I’d like to,” John replied. “It will give me something to do, something to take my mind off of…this.”

Stamford frowned as the two walked over to the scrubbing buckets. “I’m sorry,” he offered. “I shouldn’t have brought up your family. You must miss them.”

“Them, sort of,” John replied. “Mostly the freedom to see them when I want to. I don’t do well in captivity.”

“So we’ve seen,” Stamford chuckled, nudging John slightly as the two grabbed rags. John had just knelt down to start working when a dark shadow appeared above him.

“What are you doing John?” that deep voice resonated through the boy’s bones and John turned around to see the captain standing over him. For a moment the two stared at each other, until John realized the nature of his position kneeling in front of the captain and hastily stood.

“Just figured I’d help _your_ crew,” John tried to keep the acid in his voice to a pointed minimum. His fists curled at the captain’s small smile at this.

“Charming,” Holmes’ smile grew. “However, I’d like to see you in my quarters now if you wouldn’t mind.”

“And if I refuse?” John was planning on going with the man, but he still had to be troublesome. Where was the fun in this if he wasn’t?

“Then I’ll humiliate you in front of _two_ ships this time,” the Captain turned with a flourish and began to walk across the ship toward his room. Inwardly growing, John followed him as they made their way up to Holmes’ quarters. It occurred to John that this was the first time he would step inside Holmes’ private area, and he couldn’t help the curiosity that sparked in him as they walked closer. What would lay inside that door? What treasures and secrets did Holmes have to hide?

Upon entering the area, John realized that whatever the room did conceal, it would take him longer than a few seconds to discover. The room was controlled chaos, with papers and beakers and maps filling the walls and desk and even parts of the floor. However, John was most interested in Lestrade and Mycroft Holmes that were standing in the center of it, the latter of the two returning John’s inquisitive stare as he looked the young man up and down.

“So, this is your little doctor,” Mycroft offered a stiff hand. John reluctantly took it, glaring at the man though for the name _little doctor_.

“John Watson,” he offered. Mycroft nodded and gave a thin lipped smile which John was pretty sure was the most he was going to get out of the man so he decided to let it go.

“What is the meaning of this meeting Mycroft?” Captain Holmes asked impatiently as he eyed the contact between John and his brother. “You asked to see me and my superior officers, here we are. What urgent message do you have for us?”

 _Superior officer_ was a title he much preferred over _little doctor_ , but John hadn’t expected such a name from the captain. He wanted to ask Holmes more but figured now was not the best time.

“There have been several burglaries of towns across Britain’s southern coast,” Mycroft whipped out a leather docket and handed it to Holmes, who opened it to find several papers stuffed within it.

“Pirates?” Holmes asked as he fanned through them.

“Yes,” Mycroft confirmed. “They’ve stolen quite a considerable amount of treasure from the various coastal cities and have had no one confront them. The English army is always late to arrive whenever there is a looting and the navy can never catch them.”

“Not to be devil’s advocate but couldn’t these be by your brother Mycroft,” John interjected. A ship that looted various cities without leaving a trace and without any sign of where they were headed next sounded an awful lot like _The_ Hound. Both Holmes’ heads whipped around at the sound of John’s voice, but it was Mycroft who spoke first.

“A nice guess John,” the man did that strange thin lipped smile again as he spoke. “But these pirates leave a different mark on towns than my brother.”

“A different mark?” John sarcastically bit back.

“Yes,” Mycroft continued. “In every town pillaged there have been at least twenty people killed, and in some, it goes as high as sixty.”

Oh, right. That non-murder thing Captain Holmes kept to. John had forgotten about it. There was an uncomfortable silence as John and Mycroft stared at each other while Lestrade shifted in place uncomfortably. John was actually relieved when the captain poked his head up from the documents and cleared his throat.

“Well if that’s all the _riveting_ information you have,” Holmes ushered his brother to the door. “I shall get to work on this right away and you can rest assured I will have the criminals captured as _soon_ as possible.”

“The sooner the better, dear brother,” Mycroft gave John a crisp nod and moved toward the door. Lestrade followed the tall man to where the captain was standing.

“Are you doubting my abilities brother?” Captain Holmes’ classic smirk made an appearance.

“Just don’t get distracted,” Mycroft hissed back, and without another word, he opened the door and ushered for Lestrade to join him outside. After the wooden plank closed, it was just Holmes and John in the room. John was about to ask what he should do now when the captain made a beeline past him and planted the various papers on his desk, scattering a few on the floor and reading one of them quickly.

“So I’ll just go then,” John started to move toward the door just as the captain pointed to a chair near his bed.

“Sit,” Holmes ordered as he continued to read.

“Why?” John asked. “What, am I just to sit around while you read about pirates?”

“There’s no one to tend to medically at the moment,” the captain explained. “I need someone to speak with while going through my cases and Lestrade doesn’t typically enjoy listening to me so I’m trying you out, _doctor_. Besides, if you’re in here I can keep an eye on you and know you aren’t causing trouble. Can’t have you and Stamford coming up with more ways for you to escape now can I?”

Upon hearing this, John’s eyes widened, and he worried for the fate of his friend. “Look Holmes, he didn’t mean anything by it. He was just trying to cheer me up.”

“Mm,” Holmes offered, pointing to the seat again.

“Captain please,” John continued as he walked over to it. “Please don’t punish Stamford for just trying to make me feel more welcome here.” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, John inwardly cursed at himself for calling Holmes captain, but it seemed the man was now too involved with his reading to notice whatever John was saying. So without a word John took one of the documents Holmes had tossed on the floor and began to read it over.

The two sat in silence for some time as the ship rocked calmly over the water. John read through several of the documents, noting that the murderous pirates often attacked in the morning hours around 1 a.m. and were not adverse to killing women and children if they stood in the way. This angered John dearly, and he was excited that these killers were finally going to receive justice.

Even if that justice was what had kidnapped him and was currently holding him hostage on this ship.

“Ask your question,” Holmes’ statement snapped John out of his thoughts. Turning to look at the captain that was already staring back at him. John shook his head.

“I don’t know what you mean,” he explained, but Holmes shook his head.

“You’ve read these files, you’ve listened to my brother, you’ve dealt with me,” Holmes pushed. “And there must be one question on your mind after all that. So ask it.”

Sighing, John put down the paper and stared at Holmes intently.

“Why don’t you kill people?” The words were strange escaping from John’s mouth, but nonetheless, he had to know. “You do everything else normal pirates do. Your ship is cleaner than most but even that is explainable. The abstaining from killing though, that gets me. I don’t understand.”

“I like knowledge, not bloodshed,” Holmes answered, but John needed more than that.

“You could easily get more knowledge by killing people,” he argued. “Hell, you could have killed me that night and you would have found the book and added more knowledge to your collection.” As soon as John said this, Holmes rocketed out of his chair and paced up to where John was sitting.

“Kill you, John Watson? Never,” he spoke darkly, his brow furrowed and his usual smirking mouth turned down in a frown. “No knowledge is worth a life. Unless it’s a stupid one.”

John couldn’t help but giggle at this. “You know you almost had me with that sentimental stuff.”

“It’s not really my forte,” Holmes replied with a small smile, picking up some of the papers John had been reading. “So tell me, what do you think of the case?”

“Well after reading it-

“Captain,” the door swung open and Lestrade walked in with Stamford and Knight behind him. The small bubble of interest and safety that had formed around Holmes and Watson broke, and they were back in the real world yet again. “We’ve just docked on the beach of Belgravia. Also Knight needs Watson, says that one of the men got injured just now.”

“Right,” John stood up, and without another word to Holmes, hastily made his way out of the enchanting room.

 _Best to stay out of there_ , he thought to himself. _I let my guard down too easily._

Knight and Stamford followed John, pointing at the man and guiding him across the deck. From the captain’s quarters, Lestrade and Holmes eyed the trio.

“So how was that little chat?” Lestrade asked the captain as he raised an eyebrow, grinning from ear to ear. He had expected John to come bursting out of the room within the first five minutes, let alone staying in there for three hours.

“It went well Lestrade,” Holmes replied, a grin stretching across his face. “We worked on the case, and John Watson called me _Captain_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In celebration for Season 4 coming soon!


End file.
